Watertight flooring



Nov. 28, 939.

L. J. PAPINEAU WATERTIGHT FLOORING Filed Jan. 29

VII

IN VEN TOR.

Louij J. Papineau.

BY @hay ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED lSTATI-1 WATERTIGHT FLOORING Louis J. Papineau,

assignor to Johns Montreal, Quebec, Canada, -Manville Corporation, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application .lanuary 29,

i 3 claims.

This invention relates to a watertight flooring and, particularly, to an assembly for use in a refrigerator car.

For refrigerator car flooring there has been used heretofore structures including an upper layer of asphalt-impregnated felt, layers of mastic flooring or the like.

Such upper surfacing is liable either to cracking, due to contraction at very low temperatures,

l0 or being torn or penetrated to a substantial depth by shifting of loading racks or other heavy objects at the position of support upon the floor. Furthermore, the loading-racks may become adhered to such a surfacing material, with attendant diiculty of lifting the loading racks from position, for cleaning of a car between successive loadings. p

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flooring that overcomes one or more and preferably all of these disadvantages of conventional struCtureS. Other objects and advantages will appear from the detailed description that follows.

A preferred embodime nt ofthe invention comprises the use. as the upper or exposed element of the flooring, of a woven fabric impregnated and coated with a permanently plastic material. In another embodiment, the invention comprises, also, the use of a resiliently compressible tough sheet at positions at which a load is supported upon the floor.

The invention drawing and will be therewith.

The drawing shows a perspective view of the lower portion of a refrigerator car, in part broken away for clearness of illustration, particularly to show the woven fabric base of a certain member in the assembly. o There is shown a re cluding a supporting substr ventional wooden flooring, a floor surfacing member 2 including a woven fabric 8 and a permanently plastic waterproofing material impregnated thereinto and coated continuously thereover, so as to form a watertight layer, and means 3, preferably yieldable, such as a plastic asphalt or bituminous composition securing the said member to the substructure.

When loading racks 4 orother heavy objects are supported upon the floor and are subject to shifting during transportation, there maybe used protecting elements 5 disposed between the positions of support of the said racks or objects and the surfacingmember 2.

is illustratedV in the attached described in connection frigerator car assembly inucture I such as con- 1936, Serial N0. 61,262

(Cl. .Z0-7) The protecting elements are preferably slightly wider and longer than the bases of the heavy objects, say, than the beams 6 of the loading racks.' Thus, the elements may be strips. A

The protecting elements are strong and tough, l that is, resistant to being torn, gouged through, or penetrated to a substantial depth by ordinary loads and, lsuitably, have an upper surface ofl low coefficient of friction. This frictional characteristic makes possible slight shifting of the 10 loading racks or other objects, by lateral movement over the protecting elements, without substantial injury thereto. ,v

The protecting elements are constituted, advantageously, of a sheet material commonly used 1 for packing. A composition that I have used to advantage is one comprising about 25 parts by weight of a rubber compound, including rubber, solid filler or pigmentary ingredients, and a vulcanization agent, and about 75 parts, for in- 20 stance, of asbestos fibres thoroughly dispersed in the rubber compound and bonded thereby. The composition, as used, is in the form of a sheet and the rubber therein is, preferably, partially A hardened by vulcariization at a moderately ele- 25 vated temperature. The sheet material is semiflexible and adapted to be slightly and resiliently compressed under the application of a large compressing force thereto, while, at the same time, being adapted to resist penetration by a beam 6 30 or like member under the heaviest loading experienced ina refrigerator car.

Non-rigid means, such as asphalt adhesive 1, for example, secure the protecting elements at A their lower or back surfaces to the surfacing 35 member 2.

For providing an antifriction upper surface, the surface of the protecting element that is to be exposed or uppermost in the i'loor assembly is coated with graphite or other lubricant. This 40 coating may be applied in a. conventional manner, as by brushing over the element a glycerlne suspension of finely divided graphite or the like.

As the fabric of the member `2, there may be used duck, burlap, or other strong woven sheet material'.

As the permanently plastic impregnating and coating material, there may be used a bituminous composition that, as used, is not appreciably tacky at ordinary temperatures or brittle at low temperatures. Thus, there may be used an asphalt or asphaltic composition, say, in the proportion of 3 pounds, more or less, to 1 yard of duck, say, of 12.4 ounce grade.l u

The assembly made as described prevents adherence of the loading racks or loaded material and 'that variations within (if used without racks) to the oor. `A small amount of shifting of the load is permitted without injury to the floor material. Also, the woven fabric base minimizes cracking of the watertight flooring Alayer at low temperatures, in from the condition in which an impregnated felt is used.

It will be understood that the details given are for the' purpose of illustration, not restriction,

the spirit of the invention are intended to be included in the'scope of the appended claims.

-What I claim is:

v1. A refrigerator car assembly comprisinga supporting substructure, a woven fabric disposed thereover,v a permanently plastic waterproofing material impregnated into the said fabric and coated thereover, so as to provide a watertight layer, means securing the watertight layer to the substructure, tough resiliently yieldableA sheet packing extending over the said layer. non-rigid 25 means securing together the said packing and distinction layer, a lubricating coating assembly comprising a a woven fabric disposed plastic waterproofing the said fabric and provide a watertight layer, means securing. the watertight layer to the substructure, tough resiliently yi-eldable sheet packingA extending over the said layer, non-rigid means securing togetherthe said packing and of the upper surface loading racks resting of the sheet packing. and upon the said packing.

3. A refrigerator car floor,`comprising a supporting substructure, a fabric disposed thereover, a waterproong material impregnated into the said fabric and coated thereover so as to provide a watertight floor surface layer, means securing the watertight layer to the substructure, and members composed of tough, resiliently yieldable sheet packing disposed over areas of said layer which will support loading racks or other heavy objects.

LOUIS J. PAPINEAU.

resting upon the said" 

